Fixed bed reactor packing

Abstract

A reactor system for conducting chemical reactions is presented in which a reactor is operated in an upflow mode with a fixed bed catalyst and randomly distributed reactor packing therein. The reactor system and the process in which it is used exhibit plug flow behavior and are amenable to employing lightly crosslinked ion exchange resin catalysts.

We claim as our invention: 
     
       1. A process for producing bisphenols comprising introducing phenol and ketone into the reactor system comprising: (a) an upflow chemical reactor;   (b) a sulfonated aromatic fixed bed ion exchange resin catalyst having no greater than 2% degree of crosslinking charged in said reactor; and   (c) packing randomly distributed within said reactor; in an upflow mode, reacting the reactants in said reactor systems, and recovering the products thereof.     
     
     
       2. The process of claim 1 wherein said packing is comprised of pall rings.